05 Cutting

Fives are difficult and this one probably most of all as it is the moment when things have to be broken to fix them.

We see a woman standing with her arms out as if to say what should I do? In front of her, the path she is on is cut by a chasm lined with flames. The ground is broken and drops of fire are falling onto the abyss. The background is desolate. The wind blows her skirt up. Her feet are bare.

This is the point at which you feel like there is no way forward; that all hope is cut off. You could turn back – but to where? You could go forward – but there is no way. You could go sideways, but the chasm is infinite so the situation would not be changed.

The wind tells you that you need to move. Your bare feet make you feel very sensitive about your connection with the world. This is not fun. The apparent impossibility of the situation is hiding the answer in plain sight.

In descriptions of the Abyss in mythology, the missing detail was the clue. The abyss is infinitely deep, infinitely wide (across our path – left to right) so it can’t be gone around. What info is missing? I left another clue in the image.

If you look, you can see that the other side of the chasm is a pretty easy step for the woman on the path. The fear we have at the brink is an illusion. It feels very real, just as the gaps between boards on a jetty, or steps on a staircase make what is underneath feel infinite as a result of our brain not being able to establish perspective properly.

The abyss feels infinite but in reality, it is easy to step over. Easy, of course, is a bit relative. Relative to your ability to realize that the change, what needs to be let go of, is more a fear than a reality. As long as the fear is cast as a reality, it stops you. Once seen as merely a broken feeling, it is nothing more than shadows on the wall.

Divinatory Meanings

Feeling trapped by circumstance. The obstacle has to be stepped across to avoid staying stuck. Possible anger & argument to clear the air. The power of enthusiasm to burn away the fear. Time to change and move back into the world.